Third
by TheSponsor
Summary: Hope even fell short of Mello, never being considered as L's successor.  When Near takes L's place, a series of bizarre murders and disappearances seem to point to her.  Is Hope really still the Near's childhood friend, or are his suspicions correct?
1. Prologue: Loss

This is my first ever fanfic, so please be gentle with your criticism. I do not own Death Note. If I did, this wouldn't be a fanfic. ...I wish I owned Death Note. Then L wouldn't have had to die.

* * *

Third

Loss

In everything we do, we are ranked. Whether it be a test of strength, stamina, or intellect, we are compared to others. If you're in first place, that means you are a winner, and everyone will look up to you. If you are second, you're not quite there, but you have people urging you on because you are so close. If you're third, well, no one really gives a flying monkey toss. There's really nothing exceptional about being in third. You may as well be forth, fifth, or sixty-eighth. You're close, but not close enough, even when you're the one who started the game.

Near waved his hand slowly in front of Hope's face, twirling his white hair with his other hand. Hope blinked and snapped out of her daze. "You were the one who said you wanted to do this," Near pointed out dully.

"I-I do!" Hope stuttered, slightly embarrassed. She looked down at the blank puzzle. How could Near do this so easily? He had at least thirteen completely white puzzles. Each one was actually different, but no one could tell. She fiddled with a couple of pieces, but there really was no logical way of trying to figure it out. "Sorry," she muttered and shuffled back.

"You do better with things that genuinely take all your focus," Near pointed out, continuing the puzzle for her. "A puzzle like this allows too many distractions."

Hope shrugged. She wasn't sure if Near was mocking her or not, but he was right. She picked up her notebook and went back to her sketches. This was something she could usually lose herself in.

The news was broadcasting on the TV across the room, reporting more of Kira's killings. Hope couldn't help glancing up for a moment before throwing herself back into her drawings.

"Do you worry about him?" Near asked quietly, not turning away from his little game. Hope didn't answer. That was probably what she liked most about Near. He would accept her silence, not hounding her for an answer. She saw him as a friend, though they rarely actually spoke to one another. They didn't need to.

"Mello," came a voice. Everyone in the room except Near looked up at the bespectacled Roger in the doorway as he grabbed a blonde boy running past. " and Near, please come to my office.

Near piled all the puzzle pieces on the board and took it with him, shuffling across the floor as if he was still half-asleep. Hope clipped her pen onto the spine of her notebook and followed him into the hall. He went left. She went right.

Near and Mello were always the ones Roger needed to talk to. They weren't in trouble or anything. No, quite the opposite. Wammy's house wasn't just an orphanage. It's true purpose was to find a worthy successor to the great detective known as L, a man Hope felt fortunate to have met. Near and Mello were always neck and neck for this title, but Mello always fell just that little bit short of Near. L was bound to choose Near to take over some day. However, L did have a tendency to surprise people.

What about Hope? Well, she was third. Smarter and more capable for the task of being L than the average student, but not quite enough to be recognised for it.

Once she figured that it was safe, Hope padded back the way she had come. She quietly bounded down the hall and silently opened the door to Roger's office just a crack to peer inside. Near and Mello may have been the only ones invited to these meetings, but Hope always made herself present in some form. She liked to stay informed.

Near was sitting on the floor with one leg out to the side and the other tucked under his chin, concentrating on his puzzle. Mello stood in the middle of the room, obviously only there because he was forced to. Roger sat behind his desk. He didn't say anything, he just sat there with an anxious look of anticipation on his face.

Roger didn't always necessarily get right to the point. Sometimes he didn't say a word for a few minutes, almost as if he was waiting for something else to happen first.

"L is dead."

Hope's chest tightened, and she gasped for air. She quickly pulled the door shut. She could still hear Mello questioning the situation loudly. He couldn't believe it either. Hope trembled and felt as if she might pass out. She leaned up against the wall and slid down to the floor. How could it be true? How could L... be dead?

* * *

The young boy scuffed along in the rain with his black umbrella. He watched his feet instead of where he was going, but he could see his comrade's feet splashing through the puddles beside his, so he knew he was still going the right way. Through the raindrops pounding on the footpath, he heard someone crying. He stopped dead and looked up. He couldn't see anything.

"Is something wrong?" asked the old man on his right.

The boy could still hear the sobs. He followed the sound and sloshed through the muddy grass towards the playground.

"This is hardly the time to play," the old man protested, obviously not hearing it.

The boy ignored him and scanned the area. He found a little girl of about three years tucked up in a ball in the tunnel beneath the slide. She folded her arms on her knees and bawled into her elbows. Her mousy-blonde hair was pulled back into a scruffy ponytail, and she wore denim overalls. The boy dropped his umbrella, startling the child. She inhaled sharply and shot her gaze up to the stranger.

His black hair stuck out every which way and hung over his wide, dull eyes. There was something about him that scared her. Of course, being left where she was by her aunt had left her very scared in general.

The boy took off his coat and scrambled into the tunnel with the girl. He put the coat over her as if it was an everyday routine. The girl could do nothing but stare at him through her tears.

The boy was L. Even then, he was pursuing the career of a world-renowned detective. The girl was Hope. Her parents had recently passed away, and she was left to live with her aunt. Her aunt wanted nothing to do with her and abandoned her in the playground. L practically treated her like a sister from that day on, but now, he was gone.

* * *

"I'm almost fifteen. I can take care of myself." Hope expected Mello to slam the door after a statement like that, but he closed it rather gently

He was leaving. Near was clearly going to be the one to succeed L.

"Is that really all you're upset about?" Hope asked, sitting on the staircase with her arms wrapped around one of the posts of the railing as if it would give her the same security as he had given her. "He's gone, and you're only mad because he didn't pick you."

Mello hadn't noticed her there, though he wasn't surprised. He climbed up the stairs past her without a word. Hope felt her insides boil over. She jumped up and flew past him, half-shoving him into the wall as she went. She ran into her room and slammed the door shut behind her. Luckily, her room mate wasn't there. She dove onto the bed and buried her face in her pillow. Why was she the only one who seemed to care? Mello's grouchy footsteps slowly made their way across the floor. They hesitated in front of the door, but kept going as soon as there was another pair of feet shuffling up the stairs.

Hope recognised the second person's footsteps, and she knew where they were heading. She wiped her eyes and propped herself up against the wall, hugging her pillow tightly to her chest. The door slowly opened and in came Near. He set his puzzle down and tipped the pieces all over the floor. He remained silent and did his childish work. Hope stayed where she was for a while before crawling onto the floor beside Near and turning all the pieces the right way up for him, still hugging her pillow in her other arm.

Near didn't need to say anything, and he didn't try to make Hope say anything, but she was glad that he was there.

* * *

A car drove up to the building. Hope's eyes lit up and she looked out the window. She immediately recognised the black limo and bolted out of the room. She rushed past some of the other children, out the front door, and into the scruffy man as he stepped out of the car. He hardly wobbled from the impact of the happy, little bundle.

"Nii-san!" Hope chirped.

L stroked her head, gently prying her from his torso with his other hand.

Mello sauntered over non-nonchalantly. Hope knew that he was as excited as she was. The difference was that he would've stopped to compose himself before coming outside instead of thundering into the investigator's ribs.

"Good afternoon," L greeted, humouring him in his mature and dignified deliverance.

"Hello, L" Mello returned. Hope could hear his voice tremble slightly as he tried to contain his enthusiasm.

Watari chuckled through his thick moustache and they all went inside.

Near lay on his stomach on the floor, waving his feet with socks a little too big for him as he played with his toy robots. L crouched beside him in his usual manner.

"Who can I be?"

Near handed him a red robot with a typical cube-shaped head. Hope sat down with them and picked up the robot that had been designated as hers for when she played with Near. Mello stayed where he was with his arms folded, muttering about how childish this was in such a way that he knew Near would be able to hear him.

"I'll let you play, too," Near offered with a kind voice, a cheeky smile flashing across his face.

Mello reluctantly joined in, but only because L and Hope were playing.

"Pshoo! Pshoo! I shot you, Mello."

"No, you didn't! I dodged!"

"You can't dodge my lasers."

"Yes, I can!"

"Pshoo! Pshoo!"

"Pshoo! Pshoo!"

"That doesn't count, Near. I was fighting Hope."

"Well, then I shoot L. Pshoo! Pshoo!"

"Oh, you got me!"


	2. Interrogation

Half past ten on a Wednesday night and I finally got it finished. WHOO HOO!

* * *

Third

Interrogation

Hope's eyes fluttered open and she slowly sat up. Drowsily looking around the room, she wasn't sure where she was. She rubbed her eyes and yawned with a stretch before realising that it had all been a dream. She had dreamed that she was playing with L, Near, and Mello like in the old days, but she was forced to face reality. She wasn't a little kid anymore, and L and Mello were gone.

She rolled out of bed and flicked the kettle on. She wanted a cup of tea, but always found it boring to wait for the water to boil. She would've turned on the TV, but she didn't have one.

Her small apartment was cramped. There was the living area with an open-plan kitchen, a tiny bathroom, and a bedroom, but she used that to store everything in cardboard boxes that she didn't have enough room to set up and just slept on the pull-out sofa.

Hope, of course, had taken up the career of an independent detective. Sure, she wasn't very well-known, but she got the job done. She was satisfied with being unheard of. She knew she was good at what she did.

Near lifted his head suddenly. He must have fallen asleep. He didn't mean to. He had intended to keep at his work until it was finished, but, alas, his weary eyes forced him to curl up on the floor.

He had had a pleasant dream. He dreamed that he was back at Whammy's house, and everything was as it used to be.

Still, things weren't so bad right now, either. He had managed to keep himself busy with some unusual cases. It was such a shame that the past and the present had to mingle. He just found it rather difficult to believe the circumstances.

* * *

"Near, are you awake?" asked Rester.

"Yes," Near muttered dully.

Commander Rester, Lidner, and Giovanni were all still working under Near. Most cases he would handle himself, but whenever he needed more hands, he called on those that had helped him with the Kira investigation last year. He had grown rather fond of their company.

"It's her birthday today," Near sighed thoughtfully. "She's a year older than me."

Rester seemed a little uncomfortable. It wasn't like Near to talk about things like that.

"Near, she's our prime suspect."

"Don't misinterpret me, commander Rester. I'm not having any doubts or second thoughts. Just... thinking aloud."

* * *

There was a sharp knock at the door as Hope went to pick up her cup. She jumped with shock and went to answer it, muttering colourful words under her breath. She opened the door and came face to face with a young-looking man in a suit with dark hair. He was standing a little too close for comfort.

"Hope Taylor?" he assumed.

"Yes," Hope replied. Her name wasn't really Hope Taylor. It was just the name she went by. "Can I help you?"

"I need you to come with me."

"Why?"

The man opened he jacket calmly to reveal a gun. "I'm not allowed to say at the moment, but if you don't come quietly, I am permitted to use force."

Hope remained outwardly blank, but she began to panic inside. If this guy was a cop, surely he would've shown her his badge straight away, but why else would he be willing to take her at gunpoint? Was he a buddy of someone she had caught? No, she mostly took care of people who thought their partner was cheating on them, and of the few serious jobs she had taken, none of the culprits would've been able to track her down. This was something else entirely.

"May I get changed first?"

The man finally noticed that Hope was only wearing a grey singlet and a pair of track pants. He nodded and let Hope close the door. She immediately sprinted to her wardrobe and changed into some jeans and a red, flanny shirt before even checking that the curtains were closed. Once she was dressed, she realised that the curtains weren't closed. Oh, well. It couldn't be helped. She grabbed the bag she had prepared just in case of an emergency like this and climbed out the window and down the fire escape. She wasn't sure why she was running, but she wasn't willing to stick around to find out.

"Trying to escape is pointless, Miss Taylor," came a voice as Hope landed her feet on the pavement. She turned around to meet the gaze of a pale woman with long, white-blonde hair.

So much for doing this quietly. Hope swung her leg up high to kick the woman in the head, but she blocked as if she saw it coming and held Hope by the ankle. She yanked her leg and Hope fell flat on her back. The woman flew down on her and punched her. Hope didn't even feel where it hit. Everything went black.

Later, heavens knows how much, Hope opened her eyes to her new surroundings and her headache. She instinctively tried to stretch her arms, but they were cuffed behind the chair she was sitting on. It was then that she realised that she was alone in a bare room. The only things there with her were the dull light on the ceiling, the chair on which she was seated, and the camera staring at her from the top corner of the room. There were no windows, and only one door.

"You're awake," came the voice of someone through a voice filter. Hope bit her lip as hard as she could in an attempt not to laugh. It was typical that these were the circumstances the pair were reunited under.

"You don't need to hide yourself like that. I know it's you, Near."

There was a pause and a click from the speaker in the camera.

"I have some questions to ask you," said Near in his normal voice.

"That would explain the interrogation room."

"The first is purely out of my own curiosity."

"Shoot."

"Why did you run?"

Hope frowned thoughtfully. "I suppose it's just a reflex. I wasn't willing to take chances with some stranger with a gun."

"That's understandable," Near acknowledged, sounding as if he would continue on the topic, but then didn't.

"Can I ask a question, now?" Hope queried, perfectly calm in this situation.

"What do you want to know?"

"Why am I here?"

There was a long, cavernous silence. Hope patiently awaited her answer, and got just what she had anticipated. "I shall answer that when I am finished with my own questions."

"Okay," Hope shrugged.

"Are you aware that Mello is dead,"

"Yes," Hope replied, her cheeky attitude only starting to fade.

"Did you have any form of contact with him after he left the institution?"

"Yes."

"What were the circumstances?"

"I had tracked him down. It was pretty hard, but I had a good idea of where he'd end up. I found him staying with a friend of his."

"When was this?"

"The day after he blew up his own building and all the people he was working with were killed."

Hope's brain was already whirring, trying to connect anything to this event. What did Mello have to do with anything? Had he done something before he died, and if so, why was Hope handcuffed to a chair for it? Was it something to do with...

"Did you have any involvement in the Kira investigation with Mello?"

Yep, it was just as Hope had predicted. It was the only thing Mello had done in that time, therefore, that's what this concerned.

"No," Hope answered.

"Did you take any independent action?"

"No."

"Did you ever feel the need to?"

"Sometimes?"

"Why?"

"I..." Hope's voice broke out. It never did that. She was normally so composed. She swallowed the dry lump in her throat. "I wanted to help L."

"Could you explain further?"

"I wanted to..." Hope stopped herself. How could she phrase this? "I didn't want his death to be in vain."

"You wanted to avenge him," Near guessed. That's one of the reasons they hardly needed to talk to each other when they were children. Near always knew what Hope was thinking. Those were the exact words Hops had refrained herself from using.

"Yes."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because I wasn't chosen. I wasn't good enough to become L."

"Mello didn't succeed L, but that didn't stop him." Any other friend would have said something like, "you're plenty good," or, "they were wrong," but not Near. "Yep, so?" would be more of his kind of reaction.

"I'm not Mello."

* * *

Near could see that. Glancing up at the monitor for the first time he had been talking to her, Near looked at Hope. It had been so long since had seen her. So much had changed. It wasn't impossible that it had changed so much that Hope was really capable of something like this.

Rester eyed Near blankly. Near noticed him out of the corner of his eye and went back to setting up his dominoes.

"Have you ever had negative thoughts towards being third?"

Hope paused as if she was thinking about the question. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Were you ever disappointed or angry with your status in Wammy's house? Were you ever upset by the fact that you couldn't be the one to succeed L?"

* * *

Hope knew that this was the climax. This is what Near had been leading up to. He still hadn't told her why, but she knew that this was the one that would either back up or go against whatever Near's theory was with great strength. The answer was of crucial importance, but Hope couldn't lie. "Yes."

A smile crept across Near's face. His hand froze where it was, hanging in the air with a domino between his thumb and index finger. As sad as it would be if Hope was guilty, this would make it interesting. If anyone had to be his opponent, Near was almost glad that it was Hope.

"Have you ever expressed these feelings in any way?"

"Yes."

"How so?"

"I used to fight with Mello about it all the time. Of course, he fought with me to make himself feel better about being second to you."

"But you never even spoke about it to me," Near pointed out.

"No, I think you're right about that."

"Why is that?"

"Because..."

* * *

Near looked back up at the monitor with fascination. Hope hung her head and muttered to herself. She was smart, but she had a little trouble putting her thoughts into words. "...You were the only one I thought was worthy of even being in Wammy's house." Near tapped the domino at the end of the maze he had created. All the others began to topple onto the floor. This was exactly what he had been hoping for in order to have a proper suspect. "All the others were pathetic," Hope continued, beginning to lose her dignified manner of thinking before opening her mouth. Near's smile stretched from ear to ear.

"Hope," Near said as smoothly as always, his snarky tone only detectable by Hope, "the residents of Wammy's house have begun being kidnapped and dying of mysterious deaths. Most of them were only previous residents. They had lived there when you and I did. The majority of the evidence enforces my suspicions, and there is nothing that disproves them."

"You think I'm the one responsible," Hope guessed with a sigh.

"Yes, I do."

Near clicked the microphone on the floor next to him off. He stared at it for a while before turning to look up at the screen again.

"What are you thinking?" Rester asked.

"I'm thinking that it would foolish not to take an opportunity when it is handed to you on a silver platter," Near smirked, "and it would be an insult not to let Hope help us catch this criminal."

Rester was stunned. He knew Near was supposed to be a genius and all, but this just seemed stupid.

"How would letting the main suspect have access to all our information be of any help?"

"It wouldn't," Near shrugged, setting up his dominoes all over again, "but neither will just having her sit in that room telling me what she thinks I want to hear."

Rester mumbled something under his breath thoughtfully with a deepening frown.

"And so the games begin."

* * *

I haven't actually decided whether Hope is the killer/kidnapper yet. I'm not much of a planner. Feel free to shoot me some suggestions as the story progresses.


	3. Facts

I can't believe people actually like this. I honestly didn't think anyone would read it. I'm so happy! XD Feel free to give me advice or constructive criticism.

* * *

Third

Facts

The apartment was absolutely huge. There were two bedrooms, a balcony, a massive bathroom, and a living area big enough to have a bull fight if one so felt the inclination. Hope had never been anywhere so luxurious. It was a pity she couldn't have enjoyed it more.

She was still handcuffed, and she had been blindfolded the whole ride there. The two people that had taken her into custody stood rather close.

After taking in her new surroundings, Hope noticed a rather large man sitting at a desk with two computer monitors. He looked over his shoulder without saying anything.

There was a much younger-looking man sitting on the floor and making a house of cards. His white, button-up shirt was a few sizes too big for him, and the sleeves draped over his hands. He wore faded jeans that were also a little too big and white socks. His mop-like hair was white and hung over his dull eyes.

"Good morning," he said without shifting his blank gaze. "It's been a while."

Hope bit her lip. She couldn't manage to say anything. It was amazing how much Near had grown up. His voice had only just started changing the last time Hope saw him. It was strange to hear such a velvet voice coming from that little mouth. He wasn't the way she had remembered him. He was so much like L.

"This is Rester, and you've already met Lidner and Giovanni."

Hope got a chill up her spine. That voice nearly made her laugh. It wasn't really funny, just odd. She didn't want to laugh. It was inappropriate timing. She forced herself to nod.

"Some of your things have been moved into your room here," said Rester. "You may want to take a look."

Hope knew that it was only so they could talk about her without her hearing, but she played along. Lidner unlocked the handcuffs for her and showed her to her room. Lidner closed the door and left Hope to herself.

The room was moderately sized, but it had an en suite bathroom, something Hope had never had in her entire life. There was one window, and it had iron bars on it. Hope peered down out the window as much as she could. It was a straight drop at least twenty stories high. What was the point of putting bars on for that? Trust Near to go the extra mile. Hope checked the wardrobe. It was full of her clothes. The bathroom cabinet had her toothbrush and other toiletries in it. Everything was in order, not that she expected anything to be wrong.

Hope sat on the bed and sighed. She stared around the room, checking for any cameras. She couldn't see any, but she knew they were there. She chuckled and shook her head. "Perv." She left the room.

"I am not," said Near.

She may not have seen anything, but Hope now knew that there were at least wiretaps.

"Would you come and look at this?"

Hope knew it was a rhetorical question. She made her way to where Near was sitting on the floor, looking up at the computer screens.

"Please, listen close, as I don't like having to repeat myself," Near implored. Rester clicked a few things on the computer, and a bunch of pictures of students from Wammy's House, most of which Hope knew, popped up. "There have been a total of twenty-one incidents," Near began. "Eighteen deaths, and three disappearances. Most of these were students that had been there when you were." Hope noticed he said "you were" instead of "we were," but she didn't mention it. "The disappearances came first. They were students currently living a Wammy's House. This happened about one month ago. Then the clanger dropped." Rester clicked on some more things, and two photos came up. One was of Roger, the man who had run Wammy's House, and the other was of his dead body slumped in his chair behind his desk. A huge gash ran from his throat through his stomach. On the wall behind him, in his blood, someone had written something in big letters. "L is dead."

"Roger," Hope breathed. Tears stung her eyes. It broke her heart to see such a disturbing image, especially since she was suspected of being the cause. How could she have done that to Roger? How could anyone have done that to Roger? What did he do to deserve this? "But I thought he was retired."

"He was," said Near, going back to his house of cards. "You can imagine the surprise of finding him there. No one had even seen him arrive. Three pupils were also found dead in their rooms that same day."

"And this is when you gained a sudden interest," Hope guessed. "You realised that it had to someone aware of L's death, it had to be someone within Wammy's House."

"Yes, but there's more than that. Those exact words that Roger said, and why was it so important to use Roger? They could have used anyone to tell us that they know of L's death, but they went through the effort of bringing Roger all the way over."

"This didn't get out into the media, did it?" Hope asked.

"No," Near replied, "I think that's what they wanted."

Hope tried not to smile. It would be weird in this situation, but she was glad that Near was saying "they" instead of "you." He did think it was her, but he was staying open to all possibilities, not pointing fingers just yet.

"It's also the fact that there were three disappearances before this first murder," Near went on. "At first, this seems like a separate subject, but then the three other students who died..."

"Oh, come on!" Hope snapped. "Is this supposed to be a joke about being third? Do you honestly think I would give you such a big, fat clue?"

"Not a clue, but a challenge."

Hope shut herself up. A challenge is something she would present in nearly any situation. "Okay, I'll give you that one."

"I also think there was another reason for the death of the three students. Roger could not have written that message himself. He would have died long before it was finished. Someone else must have done it once he was dead."

"What does that have to do with the students?"

Near accidentally tapped one of his cards a little too roughly and the entire house collapsed. He glanced up at Hope. "They all died of heart attacks."

Hope had half-expected something like that to come along. Why else would Near have asked if she had any involvement in the Kira case with Mello?

"So, someone has a Death Note," Hope explained to herself, "and one of the students would've been used to write the message on the wall."

"I'm willing to consider any other possibilities, but that's the only one that I'm aware of."

Hope bit her lip. She knew that the user of the Death Note needed a name and a face, but everyone from Wammy's House used a false name. Not even she knew their names. Pointing this out to Near would show that she was concerned about being a suspect, and she wasn't sure if telling Near how much she knew about the Death Note would be much help, either. On the other hand, if she didn't mention it, she would probably let it slip at some stage or another that she did know this, and Near would know that she was withholding information. Of course, he'd probably know right from the beginning that she knew more that what she was letting on.

"They would have to have the Shinigami eyes."

Rester, Lidner, and Giovanni looked at her as if she had something on her face. Near smirked and twirled a lock of his hair. "Yes," he agreed, "I suppose they would."

Hope knew it only added to the suspicions, but she didn't care. She would just have to get over this selfish way of thinking – of trying to protect herself. Even though he thought she was the killer, Near had requested her help. He respected her opinion, and she couldn't abuse that. She was here to assist him in finding the culprit.

The sound of an electric guitar playing made everyone but Near jump and look at Hope's mobile phone that had been confiscated vibrating across the table. Hope looked around for permission to answer it. Near gave a slight nod and started his house of cards all over again.

"Put it on speaker," said Giovanni, seemingly just to add something to the conversation.

Hope answered the phone and put it on speaker. "Hello?"

"Bonjourno, mi amore!"

It was Mikhail. He had been a close friend of Hope's for a number of years. He knew she was an orphan, but he had no idea what kind of orphanage she had lived in. He would freak out if he knew the situation she was in now.

"Hey, Micky!" Hope piped.

"I lost to you fair and square last night. I'll come pick you up and buy you lunch."

"Uh, now's not a good time, Mikhail."

"Oh, when will be a good time?"

"I don't know. I've had to leave town for work. I don't know how long I'll be away."

"Oh." The disappointment could be heard in his voice. "Oh, okay. Call me when you get back, will you?"

"Of course."

"See ya."

"Bye."

Hope hung up and put the phone back on the table.

"A close friend?" Lidner guessed.

"Yeah," said Hope. "Nice guy."

"What did he lose at?" Near asked.

"What?"

"He said that he lost to you last night. What did he lose at?"

Hope didn't want to tell Near that she had a competition to see who could get the most phone numbers from other people in the bar.

"Darts," she lied.

Near held her gaze for a moment like it was a competition. Hope returned it with a determined look. Near got bored and went back to his cards.

"I suppose it would be useless telling you that I don't have a Death Note," Hope mumbled.

"That's correct."

"Nothing looked suspicious in her apartment," Giovanni informed. It was true that Hope had nothing suspicious relating to the case. She did have some pretty weird stuff, though. For example, why would a fully-grown, English woman have a sailor fuku hidden in a box in the back of her closet?

"I wouldn't want to underestimate you, Hope." For some bizarre reason, this flattered Hope a little.

"So, what now?"

"We will keep you under surveillance," said Near, "and wait."

Hope didn't like waiting. She preferred cramming as much as she could into the little time she had. "In the mean time, shouldn't we look over what evidence we have? The kidnapped students could still be alive. We should try to find them."

Near reached out his hand to place another card, but stopped. He sighed and pulled back. "I only said kidnappings earlier this morning because I wasn't sure, but now I am almost certain that they were all killed."

"They were controlled to go somewhere no one would find them, and then they died," said Hope, finishing Near's thought for him. "No, they didn't just die," she quickly contradicted herself with a forced chuckle as she ran her fingers through her hair. "They were killed by this new Kira."

Everyone froze at the mention of that name. Even Near frowned in curiosity.

"This isn't Kira," Rester explained as if Hope was a small child. "This person is using the Death Note for completely different reasons."

"Exactly," Near agreed. "Kira's goal was to rid the world of criminals, no matter the method. This new killer," he paused to pull one of the bottom cards from the house and let it cave in on itself, "is only out for selfish revenge."

All those feelings of respect, flattery, and Near's friendship were suddenly blown to smithereens. "This new killer is only out for selfish revenge." He thought she was the killer! Did he think she was selfish, too? Did he honestly believe that she that cold a person?

"Your choice of words was very interesting," Near commented.

Hope felt her stomach flip. Was he trying to get under her skin? If it really was her, she had let it slip that she thought, in some sense, that it was justice. That is what he was implying, and Hope knew it.

"Well, what do you suppose we call them?" she asked, swallowing her emotions.

Near seemed to consider this. "You're right. Calling the killer Kira would be much simpler."

"Yeah." Hope pasted a fake smile across her face.

A horrible thought suddenly occurred to her. Was she really that selfish? If given the power, would she have kill Roger and all those others? Yes, she hated the way L's death was just brushed over. He never got the recognition he truly deserved. No one even knew who he really was. No one knew when he died and was replaced by Light, and no one knew when Near took his place after that. As far as the rest of the world knew, this was still the same L. It made Hope boil over. She always wondered why she was the one who truly cared about this, but now she knew that she wasn't the only one. Someone else out there thought the same way she did. With that, Hope decided that Near could have been right. If she had a Death Note, she may have begun dealing out punishments. However, she didn't have a Death Note, so who did?

* * *

OH, MY GOOSE! I JUST THOUGHT OF SOMETHING AWESOME! Lol, how's that for foreshadowing...


	4. Mello

Someone asked me how Hope knows so much about the Death Note. (hardly a few hours after I posted the previous chapter) I was planning on explaining it at some stage, and I thought that now is as good a time as any. This is for you, theawsomesarah.

* * *

Third

Mello

What would he say? How would he react to seeing Hope standing there? Would he say anything? Would he slam the door in her face?

It had taken Hope a long time to find Mello. Just when she found him, the building he was in exploded. She almost believed that he had died there, but he had moved again. Underneath it all, he did have a bit of a soft spot, and Hope had proof of that.

Hope knocked on the door of the apartment. The building was only four stories high, rather low for this city, not that this was a particularly rich part of the city. The air itself felt weighed down by dirt and a cold, uneasy feeling. Sirens could be heard out on the street. Hope had been hearing them all day, but hadn't seen any ambulances or anything. Her mind automatically created the thought that it was the city itself telling everyone that people were being hurt, but there was no visible evidence of them being helped. Hope shuddered. Why did she have to think like that?

There was quite a wait before the door opened rather abruptly to reveal a young man with red walnut hair and a glowing cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He wore a pair of goggles. Hope thought it was weird, but cool.

"I'm looking for Mello," said Hope plainly.

The young man pulled the cigarette from his lips and exhaled the smoke a little too close to Hope for comfort. "I don't know a Mello."

"But he's in your apartment."

"Who the hell would name their kid Mello?"

"Oh, don't give me that crap!" Hope snapped. The man frowned a little. "I know's in there, so don't piss on my back and tell me it's raining." The man's frown deepended. He obviously didn't know what that meant.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Hope didn't care. She had decided to see Mello, so that's what she was going to do. She pushed past the man in the doorway and entered the messy apartment. If he really was the only one there, he had enough mess for two.

"Mel, get your ass out here!"

A door on the other side of the room opened. A boy with neat, blonde hair stepped into the room. Half of his face was burned, but Hope managed to ignore it. She knew how he got it. She bit her lip at the sight of his leather outfit. She should've known that Mello would've had his own drastic style by now. Frankly, she didn't mind it. It suited him.

"You look good," Mello said. Hope didn't know how he meant it. It wasn't really like him to say such a thing, so it was kind of hard to determine if he was being sarcastic, genuine, or just forcing it to be polite. Hope couldn't remember what she was even wearing and considered looking down to check, but she decided against it.

"You, too."

"How'd you find me?"

"There's a tracking beacon in the pocket watch I gave you for your fourteenth birthday."

Mello smirked and bit off a bit of the chocolate bar Hope didn't even know he had. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the watch. He clicked it open. On the inside of the lid was a picture of him and Hope when they were little. They had been fighting over a toy, and had stopped just long enough for someone to take their photo before going back to childish name-calling. Mello never would have admitted to Hope that he carried the watch everywhere, though it was apparent that he didn't need to.

"I've been looking all over for you," Hope breathed. "I thought you were dead."

The man that had answered the door cleared his throat excessively.

"Hope, this is Matt," Mello introduced. "Matt, Hope." Hope gave a friendly smile, though it was mostly just to be nice. Matt gave a nod of satisfaction and sat on the couch with his PSP.

"So, what do you want?" Mello asked, going right back to his eternally rude-sounding tone.

"I want to help."

"With what?"

"With your grocery shopping. The Kira investigation, idiot!"

Matt snickered to himself. Mello and Hope ignored him.

There was an unpleasant silence. It wasn't the usual situation for Hope to want to help Mello. Yes, that were friends, but not the kind of friends to openly admit it. They were the kind of friends who would pretend to hate each other until the other one needed them, then they'd act like they were really going out of their way to help. It wasn't like either of them to simply offer their services. Mello knew that she was up to something. She had to be!

"You're just saying that because you know I've gotten further than you," Mello teased arrogantly. "You want to avenge L, but you can't do it by yourself. You're asking for MY help. You want to stay updated, and you're willing to humble yourself to get the information."

Matt glanced up during the next silence. Mello and Hope held each other's stare for a while.

"Okay, fine!" Hope relented. "I've got nothing! I just want to do something, even if it means doing it with you."

Mello was pleased that he could break Hope like that. He bit off another bit of chocolate and took his time chewing it, taunting her with his procrastination.

"Welcome aboard," he finally said.

Mello told Hope all he had figured out about Kira. Everything seemed quiet for a little while after that for Hope. Mello and Matt had a plan in action that Hope couldn't be apart of. She didn't understand how that meant the couldn't tell her what it was, but she didn't mind so long as she could be part of the next one. She would definitely be of use. She had to do it for L.

"Yeah! Stay down, bitch!" Hope screamed, flicking her fingers furiously across the Xbox controller.

"No! None shall defeat me!" Matt cried back.

"Argh! You bastard! Cheat! Cheat!"

"How the hell did I cheat?"

"I don't know. You just did."

Matt leaned back, rather proud that he had beaten a girl at a video game, heavens knows why. "Now, get back in the kitchen and make me a sandwich," he commanded.

"Make your own damn sandwich!" Hope punched Matt in the shoulder spitefully.

"Are you two going to act like a pair of seven-year-olds, or are you going to do something productive towards the capture of Kira?" Mello grumbled.

"Says the guy just sitting there," Hope chortled.

Mello didn't react. Hope had half expected him to pull out his gun and hold it to her head, but he just sat there and stared off into space. He was clearly contemplating something very important. Whatever he and Matt were planning to do must have been very important. Hope desperately wanted to know what it was. She had helped put together a couple of smoke bombs, but she didn't even know what they were for.

"Mello," Hope began sweetly, trying to suck up, "what are you thinking about."

"No, you can't come."

Hope hated the way he said that. It felt like he was looking down on her, though he actually wasn't looking at her at all. She was being patronised and ignored at the same time. This normally wouldn't bother her, but Mello had a way of getting under her skin. There was just something about the way he spoke that annoyed her.

"You don't need to treat me like a child, Mello! I'm not even a year younger than you!"

"Yes, but you're only third."

Hope glared at him. Matt could feel the heat from the flames dancing in her eyes and shuffled away a little. "What's that supposed to mean?" She shrieked. "Would you like me to show you how I can take care of myself?"

Mello returned his own scary gaze to her. "I'm not afraid to hit you because you're a girl."

"I wouldn't expect you to be," Hope spat.

"Don't kill each other," was the only rule Matt set. Aside from that, he decided to stay out of it entirely.

Hope pulled Mello up by the collar and tripped him over so he fell to his knees. She jumped on his back and knocked him face-first onto the floor. Mello flipped off his back and pinned her down by the wrists. Hope kicked her knee up into his back, but she could hardly move and didn't hit him with enough force to actually do anything. She squirmed beneath him but succeeded in nothing. She grunted and continued writhing about stubbornly until Mello struck her across the face. She stopped. Once Mello felt it was safe to release her, he stood back up and left the room. Hope didn't move. Maybe she was only third.

"He sure does some stupid things," said Matt, going back to his game, "but you know that he means well. There has to be some reason he let you stay."

That wasn't what Hope wanted to hear about the one that had just hit her, but she knew it was true. Mello had strong reasons for not wanting to go with them.

"It's tonight, isn't it?" Hope checked as she dragged herself up onto the couch beside Matt.

"Yeah," Matt muttered, putting out his cigarette in the ashtray beside him. "Should be fun."

"What are you going to do?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because it's dangerous."

Duh! This whole investigation was dangerous! It was then that Hope realised something. Mello's lack of planning beyond this night, his absent-mindedness, the unfamiliar look in his eyes. Hope had constructed a theory, but she didn't like it.

Matt suddenly tossed his controller carelessly to the floor. He didn't normally toss his electronics about.

"Matt?"

Matt turned to Hope. There was a look in his eyes that made Hope's stomach tingle. It felt like she has swallowed a feather duster. Matt was coming closer – a little too close. Hope felt his hand run up her thigh and grab her hip. He pressed his lips against hers. Hope didn't know why she hadn't pushed him away yet. Surely he should have a red mark in the shape of her hand on his cheek by now. He was practically on top of her now, gently wedging his tongue beneath her lips. Hope opened her mouth to let him inside. His soft movement suddenly became rougher as his spiralled his tongue in her mouth, holding her on the couch. Hope could feel his body against hers, but she put her hands on his chest and pushed him away. Matt just stared down at her for a few moments. He didn't say anything, but Hope could tell what he was thinking. This confirmed her theory. Hope sat up, and Matt was forced to do the same. They didn't say another word to each other.

Hope suddenly stood up and went after Mello. She went into his room without knocking. He was sitting on his bed and staring at his pocket watch.

"You're not supposed to give up to Near right after I give up to you," said Hope.

Mello chuckled. "How'd you figure it out?"

"Well, I am third."

There was a rather awkward silence.

"I have to leave in a minute," Mello said quietly.

"Are you at least going to give me a hug or something?"

Mello seemed a little reluctant, but he stood up and wrapped his arms around Hope. She hugged him back. It was a first and a last.

"Make sure that little freak catches Kira," Mello ordered.

"I will," Hope promised.

"So, how did you really figure it out?"

"Matt gave up, too," Hope giggled knowingly.

"Want me to kick his ass for you?"

"If you're not too busy."

* * *

Hope hadn't technically lied to Near. She never did actually assist Mello in the Kira case.

Even Mello had wanted to catch Kira just to prove himself. It was all just to beat Near, but then he gave it to Near. In the end, it didn't matter who won or lost. As long as Kira was brought to justice. In Hope's eyes, Mello had died in a noble way, despite how much of a jerk he was. Mello didn't have anything to do with the case personally, so everything he did was completely selfless. Looking back, Hope knew that those were people she would remember forever.

"Hope," Near called for the umpteenth time. "Hope."

Hope blinked a few times. Her mind had wondered off while working. She was sitting in a chair by the computer monitors, supposedly trying to find other previous residents of Wammy's House. Near was in the chair next to her with one knee pulled up under his chin as he twirled his hair.

"You've just been sitting there for the past five minutes. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," Hope assured dryly. "Yeah, everything's fine."


	5. Messages

My family's going to be miffed when they realise that I'm not working on my novel. I don't let them read this, so it's completely pointless to them. Lol, I'm such a slacker.

* * *

Third

Messages

"Nobody seems to know anything," Giovanni reported on the computer screen.

"I expected something like this," Near sighed into the microphone.

Giovanni was interrogating the people at Wammy's House, while the others remained in the apartment. After all, even if Kira had the Shinigami eyes, they would have had to look at their victim's face to see their name. There hadn't been any more murders or disappearances.

It had been four days since Hope had been apprehended. Absolutely nothing had happened, and Hope was becoming bored. Hope hated boredom. She was sick of being cooped up, forbidden to leave. She had started drawing again. It had been a few years since she had done that.

"Kira hasn't made any moves these last few days," Near said plainly. Hope didn't know how she was supposed to respond to that, so she didn't. "Why do you suppose that is?"

"Are you trying to imply that it's because I'm under surveillance?"

Near stared at her with those dull eyes. The corner of his mouth twitched. "Whatever would make you say something like that?"

Hope buried her face in her sketchbook. "Cheeky bugger," she muttered under the sound of her pencil scratching across the paper.

"May I ask what you are drawing?"

"No, you may not."

The was a cavernous pause.

"I'm getting the feeling that you are angry with me."

Hope stopped what she was doing. She wasn't specifically angry with Near. She was just moody in general. She wanted to go outside. She wanted to do something. If only she could've gone out for that lunch with Mikhail.

She smirked. "Whatever would make you say something like that?" Near appeared slightly amused.

An ear-splitting scream interrupted everyone's thoughts.

"Giovanni, what was that?"

The small camera clipped to Giovanni's collar bounced up and down as he ran towards the sound. Others were coming from everywhere and following along in the same direction. They all burst into a room where a rather ruffled girl was standing with her hands over her mouth and tears streaming down her face. She was backed up against the wall and staring down at the body on the floor. It was a boy about her age, sixteen or seventeen.

Hope almost raised her hands in the air and said, "It wasn't me," but quickly, and wisely, stopped herself.

"There's been another victim," Rester gasped, stating the blatantly obvious.

"Well, it doesn't support the idea of the killer being Hope," said Near, gently emphasising "support" through that spine-chilling voice of his.

There was a quiet bang through the computer speakers. The camera jerked with Giovanni's movements as he went to investigate. Another one of the students had heard it against the door to the next room and opened it. A head that had been leaning against the door clonked on the floor. Screams and sobs drowned everything else in the halls by this time.

Hope's chest tightened. All these people – children – were dying before her eyes, and she couldn't do anything to stop it. She couldn't even be there to settle the ones that were still alive.

Hardly a second after the thought crossed her mind, one of the fretting pupils gasped and clutched his chest. He dropped to his knees with eyes the size of beach balls, panting heavily, before he dropped face first, dead.

"Three," Near counted quietly to himself.

Hope bit her lip. That was the last straw. It was the home run. With one word, Near had dealt the final blow.

"You know, you may be a genius, but you sure can be an asshole!" Hope flared. Near was unresponsive, almost as if he hadn't heard her, but there was no possibility of that. She had practically yelled in his ear. "I'm sitting right here next to you! You can see me!"

"You could have written the date," said Near. He had heard her. "I'm not ruling out the possibility that you prepared some victims if your circumstances were to suddenly change."

"But why?" Hope asked plainly, quickly calming down again. Near didn't seem to understand the question.

Another person died on the monitor.

"Near." Near ignored Lidner's call.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, why would I have even bothered killing them all on separate dates in the first place? According to your own assumptions, I would be doing this as revenge for L." Hope almost called him Nii-san. That wouldn't have helped her situation. "Surely, someone with that goal in mind and a Death Note in their hands would've killed everyone they intended to in one fell swoop."

Near held up his index finger. "They are only ideas, not assumptions." He held up his middle finger, too. "You don't know all their names."

"I don't?" Hope went along with what she hoped (no pun intended) was a hypothetical scenario.

"Hope, if you wanted to find out the names of everyone in Wammy's House, supposing that you have the eyes of the Shinigami, how would you do it?"

Hope frowned. Giovanni had gone to Wammy's House to see if there had been any suspicious activity or visitors, but that would be too simple for Hope. Why would she interact with her victims? That was just a way of asking to be caught.

"Every resident and student has a personal file on the computers of Wammy's House," she thought aloud. "Even if they didn't have names, that wouldn't matter. With the Shinigami eyes, all I would need is a photo."

Near smirked. Not in a cocky or mocking way, more thoughtful. "I thought you would say something along those lines. The files are all separated into different computers with high security. Therefore, there would be long gaps between when you could discover the identities of the next group."

Damn! He was one step ahead of Hope.

"Come to think of it, perhaps we should check to see where the files of the already murdered victims were kept. If they were all within the same computer station or two, this method was probably used."

Wait, "come to think of it?" He was making this up on the spot? So, he hadn't been setting Hope up for a trap. He was just speaking his mind. That was even worse!

"If it is, then we can just delete the rest of the files, and the rest of the students will be safe, right?" Hope was glad that the selfish thoughts had subsided for a moment so she could ask a question helpful to saving lives besides her own.

"Theoretically," Near sighed.

Near and Hope held each other's gaze, a customary thing over the last few days. The wailing coming through the speakers was the only sound.

"Near?"

"Yes, Giovanni?"

Giovanni hadn't said anything for a while. He could hear that Near was talking with Hope, so it would've been pointless speaking since no one was listening.

"There have been a total of nine deaths already."

"Three times three," Hope immediately mumbled glumly.

"I wasn't going to mention it," Near informed, twirling a lock of his hair. He may not have been going to mention it, but he had thought it. It was almost as if he wasn't actually trying to find the killer, but more trying to prove that Hope was the killer. If it was anyone else, Hope wouldn't be quite so bothered. She did seem to be this vengeful Kira. However, it hurt that Near was so determined to prove that it was her. He had always seemed to know what she was thinking before, so why couldn't he understand that she was innocent? Why was it so unbelievable?

"Hope, could you hack into Wammy's House?"

Hope froze. Rester opened his mouth, but quickly shut it. He probably could have done it, but Near had specifically asked Hope, and he would have had his reasons. Hope knew it, too. There had to be a purpose. A test, perhaps? Was it a test to see if she could hack the system to see the photos? If she purposely didn't, that would probably make her seem even more suspicious.

"I could try."

Near pushed away from the desk and rolled away in his chair, giving Hope full access to the computer he had been sitting at. Hope put down her book and shifted into position to begin her work. She wouldn't call herself a professional hacker, but she had had her share of practice in the field. She preferred face to face work, but computers were often more trustworthy that humans. Not always reliable, as anyone who has had their computer crash or freeze up on them would know.

"You appear to have done this before," Near commented.

"Most of my experience is just from reading _Bloody Monday_."

"Oh."

That wasn't a lie. Hope really did read _Bloody Monday_ more than she did hack.

"This going to take me a couple of hours at best," Hope grumbled.

"But you can get in."

"I believe so."

Much, much later, Hope got into the first system. Only one of the victims' files were there.

"Well, that was a complete waste of time."

"Not so," Near argued. "We now know that Kira either didn't discover their names by finding the files, or they got their hands on all of them before beginning their killings."

"So, they must have been very patient to get all the photos," said Lidner.

"Or very sneaky to get the names personally," Rester added.

"No," said Near, a little sharper than anyone would've thought he would, "we can reject the idea that they wandered around Wammy's House, taking notes of everyone's names as they passed by. Someone would have seen them. It would be too simple and, quite frankly, stupid." From the tone he was using, Hope almost expected him to finish with, "too stupid for even Hope." It did raise the question of why Giovanni had flown to England if it was so stupid.

"But how else could they get the information?" Rester queried.

"I'm going to say that, whoever they are, Hope or not, they are both sneaky and patient," said Near.

"Sneaky in their patience," Hope continued, twirling around in her chair to face Near. "If they did use the computer files, they certainly went through a tiring effort to cover it up. That in itself is both sly and troublesome."

"I agree. Let us assume for now that they found the files until an other possibilities emerge."

"Which brings back my earlier question. Why do you think they would have such a delay between killings?"

Near blinked his large eyes. Yes! Hope had him! She finally got him! Say it, Near. Say that you don't know! "Good point." Close enough.

"A tenth body had been found," Giovanni said, starting to sound a little frantic as he diligently continued observing the situation. He purposely positioned the camera on his collar to point at the body.

"What's that in her hand?" Hope inquired, instantly noticing something poking through the girl's fingers.

Giovanni approached and took the scrap of paper. They heard him shudder when he touched the cold hand. He held up the paper so his observers could read it, too.

_Rh lkowu'h ohhhow. Lky kryy eo ol yhwh irlhro. Khhla hao khaoww lwkn yroo nyrow hwkyul lky._ It was gibberish.

"A code?" Lidner guessed.

"I can decipher that," said Rester, making sure his job wasn't given to Hope again. "Looking at that second word's appostrophe, the last two letters would be N-T."

"Doesn't," Near translated the whole word without even thinking.

Rester scribbled a few things in his notepad, his frown deepening as he did so. Everyone waited for him to draw some sort of conclusion, but he didn't say anything. Hope already knew that it wouldn't be a normal code just by reading the message through a few more times. Near had most likely figured it out, too.

"It's nonsense," Rester informed after a moment.

Giovanni was asked to leave the premises and stuffed the note into his pocket.

Hope sighed. She walked over to Rester and snatched away his notepad. "Hey!" He had written the message down and tried to decipher it in the form of a cipher circle. Child's play.

"Near, do you remember how I used to write you letters in code?"

"You were quite good."

"Yeah, but you cracked them all, even when I randomly scrambled the letters."

"Of course." Smug much.

"Well, there was one a little before you left Wammy's House. You probably could have done it if you had more time, but you didn't. Do you know the trick I used?"

"No, you said yourself just now that I didn't figure it out."

"Exactly!" Near pulled back a little at Hope's enthusiastic response. "That's because the code in itself was a message."

"I thought you said that it was because I didn't have enough time."

Hope paused. "That, too."

She sat down and started taking her own notes, but she got sick of the small size of the notepad and moved to her sketchbook. "If the second word is doesn't, then this is this, and that is that..." She stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth as she wrote the replacement letters under the list of letters she had already written. "If we guess that this is a letter for you, and the L is there, the first word is hello."

"But the first word is only two letters long," Lidner pointed out.

"No, not that word," Hope chuckled condescendingly. Lidner didn't appreciate her tone.

"How long will this take?" Near asked.

Hope squealed quietly to herself with excitement until her expression changed dramatically. "Damn it! Son of a-"

"What is it?"

"I thought I was on to something, but it doesn't fit."

Near slunk onto the floor and held up his hand. Hope handed him the book and he looked down at her writing. It was almost as hard to understand as the message. The most noticeable thing was a list of all the letters in the alphabet with other letters underneath them. H under A. E under B. Hello, Near. Do you know... The rest was unfinished.

"I thought it would be, 'Hello, Near. Do you know who I am?" but it's not long enough."

"Why I kill."

"What?"

"Hello, Near. Do you know why I kill?"

Hope took back the sketchbook and wrote out the message that had been left in the dead girl's hand. "It doesn't matter. You will be my..." Hope swallowed hard. "...last victim. Watch the others drop like flies around you."

"Kira made the girl write this message before dying," said Near. "We will both be targeted, Hope. You before me, evidently."

"I'd rather not."

"We should catch this killer, then."


	6. Sketch

I'm having fun with this. Keep reading, my lovely people of the internet! :3

* * *

Third

Sketch

Hope had left to go to the bathroom. Near had been waiting for her to do so for a while now. He could have just asked her to leave the room, but he thought maybe it would be better if she didn't know quite as much as him, and didn't even know that.

"Isn't it interesting," said Near, seemingly to himself, "how the message was addressed."

"What do you mean?" asked Rester.

"Near instead of L. None of the current residents of Wammy's House know me by that name. In fact, only a few of the previous residents know for certain that I am L. Some of them may still be guessing as to whether it was me or Mello. Hope, on the other hand, doesn't refer to me as L at all, only Near. True, they could have simply greeted me as Near to fit their question in nicely, but there would have been other ways they could do that, and it's highly unlikely anyway."

"What about the fact that it was the same code Hope had used?" Lidner queried.

"That doesn't bother me so much. She may have told others about her strategy, and they copied it."

There was silence for a moment. A question was drifting through Rester's and Lidner's minds, but they didn't think it important enough to ask. Nonetheless, Near answered it without them needing to.

"If Hope is Kira, this is quite a mistake on her part, and I don't want her to know that I've noticed it."

Something out of the corner of his eye grabbed his attention. He grabbed Hope's sketchbook from the desk and looked at it. The corners of his mouth curved into a smile.

At the same time, Hope was in the bathroom, fretting over what had just happened. Near may not have had cameras in there, and even if he did, he surely wouldn't feel the need to watch her right now. Although, there were definitely wiretaps, so as Hope paced back and forth, she had to make a conscious effort to not talk to herself.

At first, she thought that this killer had a similar opinion to her own, but they were threatening Near. Near was a worthy L, surely. Perhaps this wasn't purely about revenge for L. Maybe it was jealousy that Kira was acting upon. Jealousy that they weren't the new L? No, that wasn't right. The only person with that kind of a motive would have been Mello, and it couldn't be him... for obvious reasons. Or was it not about Near at all? Was it just about the entire system? Then why bother sending the message? Why make a point of having Near as the final victim?

Hope instinctively put herself in the killer's shoes. That was how she deducted a lot of her own cases. If it were her, if she was capable of killing all those people, she would only target those who seemed pathetic—those who didn't deserve to be in the same category as L. If the killer did think like that, how did they justify the others like Roger and Near? She stopped dead and ran her fingers through her hair. Pathetic... Target... L... Revenge, jealousy, system. L... Pathetic... No one deserved to be L. L was unique, and Near wasn't L. Near was the most capable of taking his place, but he was not L himself.

Of course, the entire world may have had a series of synchronised riots if news of L's death got out. People would think that they would be more likely to get away with crimes now. That had already happened once with Kira. Hope could understand how having to keep that fact from civilians was important, but she could relate to the killer, too. Did these new kids at Wammy's House know? Did they know that L wasn't really the L they thought he was? Near had his similarities to L, but there were many things that made him different.

Another horrible thought had crept into Hope's brain by then. Given the option, would she kill Near as well? If she had started killing these people, would her opinion of them all as individuals begin to morph together into one group that she concluded were all abusing L's lack of public identity? If she knew what it was, would she write Near's name in the Death Note? She shuddered. She had to stop thinking like that. It couldn't be healthy.

She flushed the toilet to avoid suspicion and went back to the others. She suddenly had a visualisation of Near falling over on his side, clutching his chest and struggling to breathe as he died. It made her stomach churn. She couldn't do that. Yes, a lot had changed since Near left Wammy's House, but not that much. He was still her friend, whether he still saw her that way or not.

"Near?" Hope didn't know why she called him. The trembling tone to her voice sounded so weak, and she hated it. Her knees shook a little.

"Yes?"

Hope didn't know how to continue. Every eye was on her by this time. She felt her face glow red. "I don't know."

For the rest of the day, they looked over the files from Wammy's House. All they had to do was ask for permission. After all, Near was L. It really was just a test for Hope to hack in. The systems probably even noticed her getting in, but didn't take any action because they knew where the hacker was coming from. They scanned every single shred of information they could get their hands on, but still nothing. Giovanni took the next plane from England back to America, but hadn't spoken with the others since the deaths of the students.

Hope got bored and taught Lidner how to play speed. Hope was very good at the game because she could pay attention to everything at once, observing each of her opponents cards and moving accordingly. However, Lidner had sharp reflexes and reacted quickly. She was a rather close challenger, but Hope still emerged victorious each time until Lidner grew sick of it.

"I wonder if Near could play speed," Hope thought aloud.

Near lay on his back, holding up a Rubik's cube and twisting the sides of it. "I don't want to play speed."

That voice gave Hope chills. How could it be so smooth and husky at the same time? She swallowed hard. There was a tingling sensation in her belly.

"You don't seem to be Kira in the sense that you prefer to move quickly and get the job done," Near sighed. "Kira sure is making a point of slowing the process." He was obviously starting to grow a little bored, too. Nothing had happened for four days, and because of the sudden outburst of killings, the silence that succeeded it seemed even worse.

"Only a handful of us even met L," Hope pointed out, "knowingly at least. It's a shame we can't just ask L who would have been able to do something like this."

"If we could do that, that would mean he was still alive, and we wouldn't be in the situation."

Hope chuckled. "Point taken."

The thoughts in her head slowly tiptoed back to the subject of how unique L was. Even Near wasn't the same, but what was it about him that truly separated him from L? Was it because he wasn't devouring sweets 24/7? No, it was something much more. L would always solve his case no matter what. He wasn't afraid to think outside the box. Near was more noble, almost smug as if he placed himself on a pedestal, having a specific list of things he will and won't do. Yes, they were both stubborn, but in two entirely different ways.

Hope shook her head. She had to stop relating to the killer so deeply. It was getting far too weird. She had to think good things about Near, not reasons she would kill him. Okay, well, he was smart—really smart. There was a reason he had been chosen to succeed L. Sure, he was a little self-righteous, but he had strong morals, not that anyone besides Hope seemed to notice how up himself he actually was. Under that quiet surface, he was actually quite funny, and the fact that you could never tell by looking at him, made it all the more hilarious. He was cheeky, but... Hope's mouth twitched into a small smile for a moment before she shook her head again. Now it was even weirder. How was she going to finish that sentence? _"...But that's what I like about him."_ What the hell was wrong with her? She was probably just going stir crazy. She hadn't been outside in days, and it was starting to make her think strangely. Even a big apartment like this feels stuffy when you're in it for too long. It was actually a good thing that there were bars on the windows. She might have jumped out despite the twenty-story drop just for a couple of seconds of fresh air before she hit the sidewalk.

"Hope, you look pale."

There was another thing. He always knew how she felt. He may not have known the reason, but he knew the result, and he wasn't going to bother her if she didn't want to talk about it.

"I don't feel so good all of a sudden." Hope's head felt like it was spinning on her neck, her brain oozing out her ears.

"I think you could do with a walk," Near observed. "I'm fairly certain the weather is fair." He couldn't be sure because the curtains were always drawn.

"You're going to let her go?" Rester burst.

"But she's the suspect!" Lidner argued.

Normally, Hope would have just said no and gone to have a lie down, but she really needed to get out. "Someone can go with me," she said quietly. "I won't run. You'd just find me again anyway."

"I shall accompany her," Near informed the others as his stood to his feet. It was actually the first time since she arrived that Hope saw Near stand on his own two feet. He was a little taller than she remembered.

Lidner opened her mouth, most likely to say that she should do it, but Rester cut her off. "With all due respect, Near, that's just plain ridiculous!"

"I vehemently disagree." There was nothing in Near's voice that seemed to vehemently do anything. It was so calm as always.

Everyone watched with deepening frowns as Near scuffed over to the door and stuck his feet into a pair of cheap, slip-on sneakers. "Are you coming, Hope?"

Hope immediately pulled herself out of her chair, not knowing how else to react. She wavered a little, but her fascination distracted her from the sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Near," Rester called.

"If we're not back in an hour, call for backup." Hope wondered if Rester and Lidner knew that Near was being sarcastic. It was usually difficult for others to tell with him.

They left the room and went down the elevator in complete silence. Hope was completely stunned. She never would have expected Near to personally take her out. She felt a little silly for being so quiet, but she didn't know what to say. They left the building and wandered down the street.

"There's a park along this way," said Near, shuffling along with his head hanging rather low. "I saw it the other day."

"Why are you doing this?" Hope didn't mean to say that aloud.

Near blinked at her as if he wasn't doing anything. "You needed to get out of the apartment, correct?"

"Well, yeah."

"Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah." The cool air felt so nice, and Hope's stomach started to settle, but she was dizzy for an entirely different reason now.

Near nodded. "I'm glad."

Hope tried to drive her thoughts elsewhere. The bustling people around her made her chortle. They had no idea that L was among them. They gave the pair a glance now and then due to their strange and unkempt appearances, but that was it. Beyond that, they were just other pedestrians.

"They don't even know what's happening right under their noses," Hope breathed.

"It's usually the hardest place to see things."

"How philosophical of you to say so."

There was a long silence. Hope wanted to ask something, but whenever she tried, her mouth closed itself. "Near," she finally got out, "do you think I could kill you?"

"I assume you're not asking for permission."

"Do you think I'd be capable of something like that?" Hope rephrased.

Near had to contemplate this for a moment. "Yes."

Hope's heart sank. Her feet suddenly felt heavy. It was implied before, but now she had a straight-forward answer. Near believed that she could kill him.

"Though, I don't think you would."

Hope's gaze shot back to Near. "Pardon?"

"You definitely could kill me if you wanted to, but I doubt you would."

Hope bit back her smile. "Yeah," she said, "I think you're right."

Near suddenly stopped. Hope had taken another two steps by the time she realised and looked back at him. She intended to ask him what was wrong, but didn't actually do anything about it.

"I don't want you to be Kira," Near finally said.

Something hit Hope right in the chest. She didn't know what it was, or why it came flying at her without warning. She couldn't tell if it was something that had physically hit her, of it was something else entirely.

"Near."

"Hope, do you think you could kill me?"

Hope swallowed hard. "Yes, but I wouldn't want to."

Even outside in the cool, evening air felt so tight all of a sudden. Hope felt like there was no one there but her and Near. There was nothing besides weight of silence pressing down on them. Chatter of the people around them continued, but neither of them could hear it.

"Kira wants to get rid of the whole system of Wammy's House," Hope announced timidly.

"That's exactly what I thought," Near agreed. "It's the whole idea of having a replacement for—"

"For someone who can't be replaced," Hope finished.

There was another one of those agonising pauses. Hope wondered how many would possibly fill their walk after.

"Hope, are you Kira?"

"What kind of question is that? If I wasn't Kira, I'd say no. If I was, I'd still say no."

"You're right," Near mumbled, twirling his hair. "Sorry."

Hope couldn't take anymore of this. "I'm actually feeling okay now. We can go to the park another time." Near nodded as if he had been hoping for her to say this, and they went back.

As they entered, Hope noticed that she had left her sketchbook on the desk. She paid no attention to the stares of the still very perplexed Lidner and Rester and quickly snatched it up before heading to her room. She didn't want anyone to see what she had been drawing. It was embarrassing. She didn't know why she had drawn it. Hope looked down at the sketch of Near sitting in his chair with one leg pulled up against his chest as he fiddled with a lock of his white hair. There was nothing else around to draw, but it still made her feel ridiculous.


	7. Motion

I was lacking inspiration, but it suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks. I was just tossing ideas around in my head when I was in bed yesterday morning (I don't get up for at least an hour after I wake up), and this is what popped out from almost nowhere. Hope you like it.

* * *

Third

Motion

Hope had fallen asleep surprisingly fast despite her buzzing thoughts, but they woke her long before she was willing to get up. She was lying on her stomach on the bed, one arm off the edge and both of her feet dangling over the bottom. She had somehow become ensnared in her sheets and had shuffled down the bed in her sleep. The pillow had dropped to the floor. She groaned in irritation as she turned her head to look at the clock. It was three in the morning. Knowing she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep right away, Hope peeled the sheets from her body and dragged herself out the door.

Near glanced up from setting up his racing car set. Hope bit back a giggle. A full-grown man in his early twenties was playing with a racing car set by himself at three o'clock.

Lidner was asleep on the couch, but Rester wasn't there. He was probably sleeping in the other room.

"Restless night?" Near guessed, his whisper giving Hope goosebumps.

"Yeah."

The two held each other's gaze. Hope tried to say something or at least look away, but those large eyes were gripping her so tightly. She felt her cheeks glowing at Near's stare. He wasn't looking away either. The thing to finally break the tension was a sharp knock at the door.

"Who's there?" Lidner instantly sprung to her feet with her fists up at the ready as if she had been laying awake and waiting for that sound.

The knock came again. One may not be able to tell much just from a knock, but Hope could sense an unfriendliness about it. Near appeared a little suspicious, too, and he shuffled towards the kitchen so he wouldn't be able to be seen from the doorway, not that anyone could tell who he was.

Lidner cautiously made her way over to the door. She reached out and slowly turned the handle. Before anyone could even blink, the door burst open. A boy who couldn't have been a day over fifteen flew in and lunged at Lidner with a knife. Lidner dodged to the side without a second to spare.

Near didn't seem outwardly affected, but he moved a little further into the dark corner and tried to stay hidden.

The attacker spun around and slashed at Lidner again and again. Lidner weaved out of each swing. She ducked down low and kicked upwards between the boy's legs. He flew up into the air slightly before dropping to his knees. Lidner attempted to snatch the blade away, but the boy had already recovered and tumbled under her legs. He slammed his knee into her tailbone before sprinting towards Near.

Near watched the boy's movements, calculating each step. He looked like he didn't even notice what was happening, but he was waiting for just the right moment. Just as he was about to make a move, Hope seemingly jumped out of nowhere and shielded him from the oncoming blow. She took the knife in the shoulder with a wince. Near grabbed her and spun in front of her, delivering a kick into the attacker's chin. The boy glared spitefully before turning the knife to himself. Lidner tried to stop him, but she couldn't reach in time. The boy stabbed himself in the heart and died silently.

Rester had entered by this time, and was positively stunned at the sight of what had just happened.

Near sat back down with Hope in his arms. The wound was pretty deep, and she was shaking with fright. Her breathing was an awkward mix of panting a sobbing. Near wiped away her tears. "I don't want you to be sad."

Hope almost snickered, but it hurt too much. She smiled, clutching her shoulder in pain.

"This is one of the missing kids from Wammy's House," Lidner observed, still staring at the motionless body on the floor.

"Call for an ambulance," Near ordered, not really worrying about the one that was already dead.

"I'm fine," Hope croaked stubbornly.

"Don't argue. It's pointless."

Hope retreated and decided to stop talking.

Rester was already on the phone to the emergency services.

"What will we tell them about the body?" Lidner asked.

"We'll have to get the police in on this with us," Near sighed. "We may be in a little bit of trouble otherwise."

Hope could feel the blood seeping through her fingers. The excessive bleeding wasn't stopping. It burned tortuously, and she cringed to try and keep herself from crying again.

"Lidner," said Near. "I want you to find out which student this was, and when he left Wammy's House." Near could easily have done it himself, but he didn't seem willing to move from his current position.

"Of course." Lidner sat down at the computer and looked through the files. When Rester was off the phone, he leaned on the chair and watched the screen over her shoulder. "He went by the name of West. He was the last of the three disappearances twenty days ago."

Twenty days ago. How convenient. Near knew that the Death Note could control its victims for twenty-one days before their death. The first disappearance was thirty-four days ago. The second was twenty-seven days ago. It was almost like Kira didn't know when they were going to die. Kira chose a new victim every week until... Until what? What happened between twenty days ago and thirteen days ago?

The ambulance soon came, and Lidner and Rester took care of the business with the police. They could tell that Near was in a place where he was not to be disturbed. He was lost in thought. Twenty days ago, when West went missing, was when Near took notice of what was happening at Wammy's House. A few hours later, Roger died. Were the disappearances just to get his attention? Then why would only one of them have been commanded to attack. Also, why bother making them attack at all. It was impossible to kill indirectly with the Death Note... or was it? Near ran his car back and forth on the tracks. It went nowhere, just like his thoughts. Wait, maybe the killer didn't know about the twenty-one day rule. Maybe the disappearances were tests to see how long they could control their victims... but then why stop at three? Something must have changed to make them stop, but the only thing that changed was Near. So, maybe they were just experimenting until Near came along? No, Kira wasn't trying to do as much as possible before Near caught on. Kira was bold enough to send a mocking letter. No, Kira had been waiting for Near. Of course, that raised an entirely new question. How did Kira know when Near began investigating? The question still remained as to why there were three disappearances. Three...

"Near," Rester broke into Near's buzzing mental state, "there were several more deaths at Wammy's House, all within two minute's of West committing suicide."

"How many?"

"Thirty-three."

Three... Thirty-three... Hope couldn't be so stupid as to send such blatant signals, could she? Were they signals at all? Perhaps they were just a coincidence. No, that would be too simple. Could someone be trying to frame Hope? But there was no one within Wammy's House that would have a grudge against her. Well, Near didn't know anyone who did. He decided to ask her if she knew of anyone who might do such a thing when he next saw her. Then again, it could just be someone trying to shift any suspicion from themselves, but Near would have had Hope as his first suspect even if it wasn't for the constant occurrence of the number three. Nothing seemed to fit together.

Hope was back by lunch time the next day. Mikhail called again, but she told him that she was still out of town, even though she didn't actually know where she was. Giovanni soon returned, too. The killings were suddenly very consistent, three on every hour. Near didn't like that, but he wasn't sure why. Hope wanted to help and be out with the others in case she saw something that they didn't, but she was ordered to stay in bed for the rest of the day.

Near eventually got tired of watching the same thing happen over and over, so he went to check on Hope and left the rest to the others. Hope was sitting up in bed with a sudoku.

"Is that what you call resting?"

"It's not exactly physical labour."

Near had no comeback. He sat in his usual manner at the foot of the bed. He glanced at Hope's bandaged shoulder. "Thank you," he said quietly.

"You're welcome," Hope chuckled as if he had made some kind of joke.

"I was meaning to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"Is there anyone at Wammy's House that would want to hurt you?"

Hope frowned thoughtfully. She noticed something and excitedly filled in one of the boxes in her puzzle before returning to the question. "No, I don't think so. The only people I really talked to were you, Mello, and my room mate."

"Dare?"

"Yeah."

"And L, of course."

"Well, yes, but I doubt he'd be out to get me. Why do you ask?"

It was Near's turn to think. Why was he asking? He didn't want Hope to be Kira, but why? He was supposed to be logical and impartial to the suspect, but that seemed so impossible.

"I wonder if any of the others knew who he was," Hope thought aloud, seemingly forgetting her own question.

"Who L was?"

"Yeah, he always came to see us, but hardly any of the others even spoke to him."

"You," Near corrected.

"Pardon?"

"He came to see you. Mello and I were just always around you at the time. You may have been third, but you were his special one."

Hope bit back a smile and buried herself in her number puzzle. Near felt something in his stomach. He didn't know what it was, but he didn't like it.

Near then realised something. "It was you. The thing that changed was you."

"What?"

Near explained his thoughts about the three disappearances, but only one attacked. "The others couldn't have attacked because you weren't here yet. That's what Kira was waiting for. When I started investigating, they knew I'd suspect you, so they felt safe to stop controlling students to attack."

"But the first two should have attacked anyway," Hope argued. "You can't write for the victim to attack _if Hope is present..._ Can you?"

"No, writing your name in the Death Note would kill you, too."

"It's not like they knew the exact date I'd be here. The fact that there were three students missing proves that."

"No, but maybe you don't need a date."

"What do you mean?"

Near smirked. He finally had something. "What if it doesn't have to be a date, just a point in time? What if they said that when an even takes place, this person dies or does this and then dies?"

"Then why didn't West attack when I first arrived?" Hope asked, getting a little frustrated. "Why did it take so long?"

Near stopped himself from replying. Only one thing had happened around that time, and he wasn't even entirely sure of what it was yet, but he was positive that it was the event Kira had been waiting for. Kira was toying with him. This made it harder. Any number of people in Wammy's House could want to be rid of Near, especially if they hated the entire program.

Hope was visibly growing impatient, but she didn't ask again.

"Kira's mocking me."

"How so?"

Near remained unresponsive. Hope could tell that it was something that had gotten to him, which was strange. Near was normally so mellow, ironically.

"All this game playing," Hope sighed, "could just be a distraction."

"A distraction?" Near echoed.

"If it is, it's working."

Near spun his hair through his fingers. A distraction... He had to ignore what Kira had first made him think and consider the matter further. The only person who could possibly know or even guess that such an event would take place was Hope, and that made it even worse. Had she intentionally given him such a clue, or was she innocent? Her behaviour indicated the latter, but the evidence was against her, so maybe...

"Hope, have you ever had resentment towards my becoming L?" Hope slowly sunk beneath the covers. Near would normally leave her be, but this was business, and he needed an answer despite who he was talking to. "Hope, I need you to tell me."

"I wouldn't call it resentment," Hope mumbled, still staying hidden. "I just... I don't know."

"You feel like you can relate to the killer."

Hope came back up, looking rather surprised. "Yeah, I think I can."

Near stood and left without a word. He was almost positive that he had figured it out.

"It's about to happen," he said quietly, more to himself than to the others in the room.

"What is it?" Rester asked.

"It's either just the beginning, or the end is right around the corner."

No one knew what that meant, but they didn't dare ask. Rester, Lidner, and Giovanni stood staring at Near. Near was still leaning against the door, his eyes on the floor. Everything remained still like that for a few agonisingly long moments. Near was waiting, but for what?

There was a knock at the door. With each piercing sound, Near's stomach churned. Lidner went to see who it was, her legs spread apart in preparation to kick them if they tried anything funny. She swung the door open, but there was no one there. She looked down at the black notebook on the floor—a Death Note.

Near's blank eyes noticed nothing besides that book anymore. He already knew what to do. He had a test for Hope, but it was also a test for himself. They had to pass. He didn't want to fail.

* * *

Fear not, my friends. All will be explained...


	8. Test

I've been looking forward to this chapter... _Ha ha ha._ No, that's too much. _Har har har._ What the hell was that? _Heh heh heh._ Better.

* * *

Third

Test

Hope opened her eyes, but it was hardly any brighter. She looked at the clock. It was nearly eleven. She had fallen asleep right after dinner, and she was now completely awake. She hated when that happened. She knew that staying up would mess with her sleeping for the next few nights, so she decided to have a bath to settle her mind again. The sketchbook on the night stand caught her eyes as she was about to take her shirt off. She flicked through to the page with the picture of Near and chuckled.

* * *

Near's hand froze above the building he had built out of dice. He heard the bath running. He knew the motion sensors in the cameras would have picked up on Hope's movements and displayed her on on the monitor behind him. He was finding it unnaturally difficult to keep himself from looking at it. His heart was pounding like a bass drum, threatening to burst out of his chest. Never had something so simple made him feel so strange. He didn't need to look. He had the Death Note, so Hope couldn't be doing anything with it.

There was a wheezy laugh. Near peered up at the Shinigami staring at the computer screen. Near had met this Shinigami before. It was Ryuk, the god of death that had accompanied the first Kira, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. Ryuk seemed to enjoy watching humans go mad with the power of the Death Note and, evidently, watching women bathe.

It was about a half hour later before something else happened. "I won't watch if you choose to do something," said Ryuk. Near's head buried itself in his shoulders. Ryuk's dry laugh came again.

"Whatever are you talking about?"

Ryuk didn't reply. He didn't need to. His silence alone was mocking enough.

* * *

Hope finally managed relax in the warm water. She didn't want to get out of the bath, but the water was starting to get cold, and there was nothing that annoyed her more that cold bathwater... well, and criminals. She reached for a towel, but there wasn't one. She remembered that she accidentally dropped it in a puddle, and Lidner had hung it out on the terrace to dry. Damn it!

Hope crawled out of the bath, water dripping across the floor as she went back into the bedroom, mumbling curses to herself. She opened the door to the living area just a crack a peered through. She could only just see Near in the glowing light of the computer, but he was lying on his stomach and appeared to be asleep. Quiet as a mouse, she tiptoed quickly through the room, being sure not to wake him. She reached the cupboard and opened it. It creaked loudly. It sounded like a cat when you step on its tail. Hope grabbed the first towel she could get her hands on. She covered herself and looked at Near. He was looking back up at her.

"Y-you're awake," Hope observed awkwardly, her cheeks flaming red.

"You're naked," Near returned, "and wet." Hope almost giggled but stifled it. Curse her dirty mind!

She pushed the cupboard door shut with her foot and wrapped the towel around herself properly before pointing to the door she came through as if needing to indicate where she was going.

"Before you do, would you have a look at this?" Near pulled himself up and drowsily pulled a note book off the desk. Hope shuffled over and squatted down nervously, looking rather uncomfortable staying in her current condition around Near. Near had to force himself not to smile as he handed her the Death Note. She jolted with shock at the Shinigami looming over her, which, in itself, was not unusual. Near sighed melodramatically, but Hope didn't notice.

"It's blank," she pointed out, flicking through the pages.

Near kept his eyes on the book and not on Hope's towel as it slowly slipped lower and lower. He flicked back to the front of the book and pointed to the scraps in the middle. "Pages have been torn out," He said.

Near accidentally glanced up at Hope's chest. She noticed and pulled the towel up a little, her face as red as a tomato. Near wondered if he was blushing, too. Ryuk wheezed a laugh.

"Where are the others?" Hope asked, possibly unwilling to be alone with Near like this.

"Out," said Near.

"Where?"

"Another hotel."

Hope frowned. "Why?"

"Because I asked them to."

Hope was visibly disturbed by his answer. That mind of hers would be making up all sorts of reasons for Near to have wanted to be alone with her. "I had to test you," he explained, but it didn't seem to console her.

"What kind of test?" Hope queried dubiously.

"To see if you are Kira."

Near could see Hope's heart sink into the pit of her stomach. It was not a pleasant sight. He knew she wouldn't like it, but it had to be done.

"Y-you're testing me?" Hope inquired, her voice almost silent as she stubbornly fought back her own tears. "But... but I took a knife for you."

Near looked at her bandaged shoulder it was soaked through. The fact that she took that blow was irrelevant. That was then, and this is now, and this is when he was testing her.

"I know."

This was clearly not what Hope wanted to hear. She slapped Near across the face. He began to think that maybe it was a little excessive to have Rester, Lidner, and Giovanni go to an entirely different hotel. It probably would have been adequate to have them just in a different room so they were close at hand.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she shrieked. "Why would I save you just so I could kill you? That's just stupid!"

Near lightly touched his fingers to his cheek. It stung tortuously.

"I thought you said that it was someone who could be out to get me! Do you think I would try to frame myself?"

The hardest thing to believe is often the truth. Near wisely didn't verbalise this thought. "I have to be thorough," he mumbled instead. "I can't let personal interest affect the case."

"How's that working out for you?"

Near peered up from under his brow. He was almost tempted to hit her back but was a little more sophisticated than that. Besides, he knew he'd regret it.

"Well, I am L." He regretted that immediately. He may as well have hit her.

"So, what am I?" Hope scowled.

Near felt something deep inside him sizzling. He had an impulse he was not used to having. His brain told him that it was stupid, but his clenched hands tightened and said otherwise. Deep down, he did want to do it, but he didn't want the inevitable outcome to accompany the action. "Third," he said.

Hope pounced for him, anger bursting from every pore. Near was expecting the attack this time and rolled out of the way. He threw his foot into her back, knocking her onto her side. She groaned a curse on the floor and dragged herself to her feet. She had to hold the towel up, her dripping hair hanging in front of her face. Near didn't like the creepy way she was panting and stood up, too, just in case.

"When did it all become so complicated?" Hope breathed.

Near gave a slight chuckle. His chuckle grew in volume until it was a strong belly-laugh. Hope looked up with great surprise. She had never seen Near laugh. Near himself couldn't even remember the last time he had done so.

"The day we grew up," he replied.

"You grew up," Hope corrected. "I'm still just a big kid."

Near almost argued and said that she had grown into a woman, but deducted that it would sound strange.

"How could you think that I'd ever want to hurt you, Near?" Hope's voice had softened greatly by this time. It was less angry and more guilt-making. "You were always my best friend." Near almost wished she'd go back to shouting.

He then realised something—something far more important that the stupid guilt boiling in his chest. He knew what it was. He had been expecting it, but he had been prepared for it to feel like this.

Hope went back towards her room. She reached for the handle and lost her grip on the white towel. It slipped from her grasp and dropped to the floor. Near's eyes bulged. Hope quickly snatched it back up and left in a frenzy of embarrassment.

"Wow, she seemed pretty mad," Ryuk chortled. He left a teasing pause before his next sentence. "Still don't know what I'm talking about."

Near sat back down, staring at his dice building for a while. He eventually swiped his arm through the middle and knocked down the entire thing, the plastic cubes crashing against each other and landing on the carpet with a dull _thop_. He had failed his own test.

* * *

Hope had speedily dried herself and pulled on some underpants and a t-shirt, frustrated with Near, but mostly herself. She would have been better off going to bed wet, or at least lying on the bathroom floor to air-dry. She curled up in bed and tried to sleep, but it was impossible.

A squeak as someone turned the door handle caused her to sit bolt upright. A shadowy figure slipped into the room. It didn't look like Near. It couldn't be Near. The stranger's face was hidden in the dark by an eerie darkness. Something was very wrong.

The stranger took a step forward into ray of moonlight shining in through the gap between the curtains. It was Near, but there was something very different about him. It scared Hope a little.

"What's wrong?" she asked timidly.

"I'm your friend." It seemed like a statement, but sounded a little like a question.

"Y-yeah..."

Near made his way to the foot of the bed. He crawled up over Hope's legs. Hope shifted backwards nervously until she was up against the headboard. Near's hands were on either side of her hips. She could feel the dip in the mattress. He leaned so close to her—closer than she ever would have thought him to. His nose brushed against hers. Her mouth hung open, and she could taste Near's breath blowing from his own as he breathed, almost panted the words, "I don't want to be your friend."

"N-Near."

He came closer, his lips tickling hers as they slowly met. He kept pulling away every second before coming back in, pinching her lips with every kiss. Hope didn't want to like it so much. She didn't want to have to feel this way, but she did, and so did Near. There was nothing either of them could do about it.

* * *

Me: Probably a little predictable, so sue me! WAIT! I WAS BEING SARCASTIC! DON'T SUE!

Near: Why did it have to be in such detail?

Hope: Because you're hot for me.

Near: …

Me: Lol.


	9. Finale

Here it is! The final chapter... _Hm hm heh ha HA HA HA HA HA!_ Lovely. I have had one person say that Hope should be innocent, and one say that she should be guilty. Well, I lied. I had decided from the beginning whether Hope is Kira or not. I'm such a tease. :P Now for the exciting conclusion of Third.

* * *

Third

Finale

Hope's eyes fluttered open slowly. She had never slept so peacefully, and it felt so refreshing. However, it did leave a bitter taste in her mouth. It wasn't supposed to happen quite like this. She sat up with a stretch and rapidly pulled the blankets back up to cover herself when she remembered that she was naked. She wasn't sure why. Near wasn't in the room at the time, and it was a bit late to hide herself from him anyway. She grabbed Near's shirt off the floor and pulled it on. She always wanted to wear the guy's shirt afterwards. It looked kind of cute. As she did the buttons up, she heard the toilet flush. She instinctively dashed out of the room, exiting as Near entered.

The first thing Near noticed was the empty bed. Hope had been fast asleep when he went into the bathroom. She was evidently quick to rise. She had also taken his shirt.

He went out to the living area and saw her standing in the kitchen with her back to him. Something was missing, not that Near had expected it to be there.

Hope turned away from the toaster and jumped at the sight of Near. She put her hand on her heart and chuckled at herself. Her smile faded as she noticed the look on Near's face as he stared blankly at something on the other side of the room. She followed his line of sight, but there was nothing there.

"That was something I didn't consider when we took you into custody," he said.

"What's that?"

Near turned his gaze to Hope. "That I'd fall in love with you all over again."

"Again?" Hope echoed.

Near shrugged. Hope giggled.

Near only just noticed Ryuk floating in the corner of the room with his legs crossed. He looked like he was getting impatient, probably because he had promised Near that he wouldn't watch. He grinned at Near, flashing those demonic teeth. Near knew that it was creepy, but it didn't send chills down his spine like it would anyone else. The bitter-sweet sensation of what he had let happen was even worse.

"What do you want on your toast?" Hope asked.

Near lazily scuffed over with his hands in his pockets. "Honey?"

"Sure."

Near hung over Hope's shoulder, watching her spread the sticky substance. She was getting it all over the sleeves of his shirt. Near wasn't particularly interested in such an action. He was just trying to get a reaction out of Hope. She peered up with a smirk and her eyebrows cocked. She was so cute when she was annoyed, not to mention that Near's shirt was more like a cocktail dress on her.

"What are you doing?"

"Watching you."

Hope smiled. She turned around and kissed Near. Near's stomach churned that way she always made it churn. He held her close by the waist, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Near impulsively lapped her lips with the tip of his tongue, requesting entrance, but she pulled away. She moved beside Near's head, her lips brushing against his ear.

"I have a surprise for you," she whispered.

"I have one for you, too," Near whispered back.

"Oh, yeah? What is it?"

"You first."

Hope pried her body away from Near's and pulled a black notebook from behind the cereal on the shelf. In big letters on the front it said Death Note. Hope presented it to Near with the corners of her mouth curled into a wry smile. Near took at it and looked at it dully. Hope put her hands on his shoulders and pressed her chest to his. "I'm Kira."

Near almost didn't seem to notice what she had said. He wrapped his arms around her and began nipping at her neck.

"You were right when you said that you didn't need a date," Hope explained. "I tested it with someone who had nothing to do with Wammy's House so you wouldn't pick up on it. I told Roger to kill himself when you noticed the case, and the other students at that time to write the message in his blood before dying of heart attacks in their rooms. Most of the other deaths were random, except for the one with the note. I couldn't resist. As for the missing students, I told each of them to attach once you had fallen in love with me. I had a new victim each week because I couldn't be sure how long it would take for you to find me, but once Roger was dead I felt that it was enough."

"Only just," Near pointed out. "Another day and you wouldn't have had the chance to take the blow for me. You wouldn't have had an opportunity to turn the tables."

"Yes," Hope chortled, "and I knew you'd try to test yourself to see if you really had. You tried so hard not to, but you couldn't help yourself last night. You know, all the other people related to Wammy's House died within that time. That was the event I had tied them to. They could have lived if you hadn't come into my room with such lustful thoughts."

"So, are you going to kill me now?" Near breathed.

Hope reached behind her back and pulled the Death Note out of Near's hands. "I already have." She opened the book and showed Near what she had written.

Nate River. Dies of heart attack when the one he loves dies.

Hannah Woods. Dies of heart attack after confessing what she has done to the one who loves her.

"You've made a mistake," said Near, but he didn't say what it was.

"You better give me your surprise before I die," Hope teased.

Near pulled her in tightly, pressing his forehead against hers. A smile slowly crept across his face. This was sweet, but he knew the bitter was just around the corner. "You're not going to die, not yet anyway."

Hope no longer seemed so confident. "W-what do you mean?"

"I was testing you last night, too. When I handed you the Death Note, you were shocked by the sight of Ryuk."

"Y-yeah?"

"But it was a fake notebook."

Ryuk threw his head back and laughed maniacally at the stunned look on Hope's face.

"Surprise!"

She had done so well, but she had gotten too cocky towards the end. This was uncharacteristic of her, and showed Near that she really had been affected by the power of the Death Note. He had proof that she was willing to kill him and herself.

"After the notebook appeared at the door, I hid it. The one I showed you last night was the fake I had Giovanni make last year. I keep it with me for good luck. All I had to do was rip out the first bunch of papers, leaving those little scraps in the middle like you had."

Hope didn't like this at all. She stared down at the notebook in her hands. Her eyes welled up with tears as she trembled.

"But I know that it wasn't all a trick," Near went on. "You definitely weren't Kira when you first came here. You had already written all those names in the Death Note, so you could give ownership back to Ryuk without losing any of your hard work. Of course, I erased my own file at Wammy's House quite a while ago, so you had to lure me out so you could see my name. In those few moments between when I left you and when we found the Death Note, Ryuk had given the notebook back to you first. You knew that I would send the others out to test myself, so you figured it would be safe to grab the notebook in the morning and kill me, but it had been exchanged hours ago."

The Death Note slipped from Hope's fingers and dropped to the floor. She broke down into tears on her knees and wailed at her failure. This was the bitter part. Near always did love Hope, but now he had well and truly fallen in love with her. That was what she wanted. She wanted him to trust her, but he still remained logical. Near almost wished that he hadn't figured it out, then he would be dead and wouldn't have to see Hope cry like this, but he was L. L couldn't let evil prevail, not even when evil was his best friend.

"I guess there was a reason you were chosen," Hope sobbed, "and there's a reason I'm third."

Near had always been the cold and calculating one of their group. He had to be. He knew that he had to be the best—he had to win without exception, but something still forced him to crouch down on the tiles and put his hand on Hope's shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" Hope scrambled across the floor until she hit her back up against the cupboard. She pulled herself up as if Near was some kind of monster, her eyes the size of beach balls. Her hand passed over the knife on the kitchen bench. She felt it beneath her fingers and looked down. Her fingers curled around the handle. Ryuk was watching her intently.

"There are wiretaps," said Near. "The others have heard it all and should be nearly here by now."

"Why did you send them so far away?" Hope asked. "Was it so they couldn't hear me scream your name all night long?" Near swallowed hard. "So, you do get embarrassed. Emotionless Near feels things like the rest of us. Do you feel joy? Hate? Sorrow?"

"Hope."

"How did you feel when L died?" She was holding up the knife, turning it over in her hand and staring at it with fascination.

"Hope, put the knife down."

"Did you care, or was it just a game for you? Survival of the fittest? Circle of life? Hakuna Matata!"

"Hope!"

Hope swung at Near. He rolled off to the side and banged his head into the cabinet. Hope pounced on him. Near held her arm by the wrist, keeping the knife not a foot from his face.

"There's one thing I don't understand," Near grunted. "The message."

"To taunt you," Hope snarled through gritted teeth, "to knock you off your guard. It hurt didn't it? It hurt you to suspect me!"

Near's arms were tired and starting to give way. It didn't help that Hope was surprisingly strong.

"I can't let you live, Near. It only takes one to rebuild."

The cool blade was against Near's chin. He squeezed his eyes shut and pushed with all his might, but he wouldn't be able to hold Hope back for much longer.

"I've been training," Hope panted, a laugh almost making its way out of her mouth as the corner of her mouth twitched. "There's no way you can beat me at this."

Near slammed his knee up and hit Hope in the rear. She didn't seem bothered. In fact, she smiled, but it was enough of a distraction for him to swing her over and pin her down by the wrists. Hope squirmed a little before coiling her legs around Near's waist and pulling her hips to his. Goosebumps broke out all over his skin and he dropped onto her. Hope rolled him over so she was on top again, throwing her entire weight down. Near still held both her wrists and held her up. Hope's tears streamed down her face and fell onto Near's.

The door suddenly burst open and in flew Rester, Lidner, and Giovanni. Lidner grabbed Hope by the collar and ripped her from Near, tossing her across the kitchen. Giovanni pulled out his gun and held it to her. Hope dropped the knife and bawled into her hands. Rester hooked his arm under Near's and helped the young man to his feet. Lidner kicked the knife away from Hope.

Ryuk's dry wheeze echoed through the room. He pulled out his own Death Note and a pen. Hope and Near were the only ones who seemed to know why.

"Wait!" Hope protested. Ryuk paused curiously. Hope staggered to her feet with Giovanni and Lidner ready to stop her if she tried anything. She held out her arms, knowing that making a move herself would cause the others to shoot her without hesitation. Near stepped over to her and embraced her. She cried into his shoulder. "I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you, too."

"Goodbye." Near ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her head. Ryuk chuckled and wrote what he had intended to. Hope seemed to weep for an eternity before gasping. Near could feel her racing heart cease against his bare chest. Her body became limp in his arms. The others took the corpse from him. Near turned back to Ryuk, but he was gone.

"Near?" Rester called quietly.

Near ambled over to his pile of dice and sat down with one leg out to the side and the other tucked under his chin. He began to stack the dice.

"Near, what are you doing?"

"Rebuilding," Near replied in his usual, dull tone. "Isn't that what L should do?"

Rester, Lidner, and Giovanni exchanged glances. It was over, but Near would never be able to make himself forget. He had fallen in love with his best friend, but she had gone mad with power. She believed that all the others were pathetic, but she eventually wanted to kill herself, too. A thought crept into Near's mind. If he had the Death Note, what would he do?

* * *

"Nii-san," Hope muttered, kicking a can along as she walked down the street.

"What is it?" questioned the slouching man beside her.

"Where do you think we go when we die?"

L stopped in his tracks. Hope did the same. L wedged his thumb between his lips. "I'm afraid I don't know," he replied.

"Mello says we go in the ground."

"Well, yes, our bodies do," L acknowledged, "but I don't think that's what you're asking."

"I want to know if you believe in heaven."

L clicked his nail between his teeth. Hope stared wide-eyed up at her mentor, patiently awaiting what he would say.

"I think that there must be somewhere for our souls to go," L finally said. "Wouldn't it be a boring ending if we just went in the ground."

"That's what I said to Mello," said Hope, biting back a small smile, "but he said that most souls would go to hell."

L crouched down in the way he always did so he was actually a little shorter than Hope. "What about we who fight for justice, Hope?" L queried. "Where do you think we go?"

Hope saw what he was doing. "We go to heaven."

L nodded. "I think you may be right." He stood again and stuck one hand in his pocket, holding the other out to Hope. Hope took it, feeling a lot more cheerful. She kicked the can out of her way as they continued on.

"Nii-san, if you die before me, will you wait for me in heaven?"

"Of course."

"It's a date!" Hope giggled jokingly.

_C'est fini!_

* * *

Yep, I always knew she was guilty. The only thing I was contemplating was whether she gets caught or not. Hope you enjoyed my first actual online series.

Me: What did you guys think?

Hope: I don't actually go to heaven. I go to MU. :(

Me: Diddums. Near?

Near: I thought...

Me: Yes?

Near: I thought... that it was depressing.

Me: …

Hope: …

Me: It was just fanfic, dude.

Near: Yeah...


	10. CODE

This is the code I used for chapter 5. Just felt like adding it. (And a certain someone couldn't figure it out. You know who you are. X3)

* * *

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Alphabet  
H E L L O N E A R D O Y O U K N O W W H Y I K I L L Replacements

Rh lkowu'h ohhhow. Lky kryy eo ol yhwh irlhro. Khhla hao khaoww lwkn yroo nyrow hwkyul lky.  
It doesn't matter. You will be my last victim. Watch the others drop like flies around you.

It's especially complicated because there is more than one option for some letters. For example, O could mean either E, K, M, or Q, and E could mean B or G.


	11. Boredumb

I just realised that I forgot to change the status of this to "complete." I've done it now, but I finished it ages ago. *giggle* Soz. Since it wasn't technically complete, and I'm bored, I've decided to add a little something. A chat with Near and Hope.

Me: So, welcome to my humble abode.

Near: You're not going to act weird, are you?

Me: No, this is my serious fanfic. DEADLY serious.

Near: You're acting weird.

Me: Oh.

Hope: Don't worry about him.

Near: ...

Me: I was curious.

Hope: About what?

Me: Nothing... I'm just bored.

Hope: Well, why don't you work on your Black Cat fanfic?

Me: YOU RUINED THE SURPRISE!

Near: Weird again.

Hope: Come on. Click on that tab at the bottom of the screen and make all those people happy.

Me: ...

Near: You're really manipulative.

Hope: You know from experience.

Me: Did you like the Sailor Fuku I gave you?

Hope: Uh...

Me: It's okay. I created you. I know you like to wear it when you're alone.

Hope: *blush*

Near: *blush*

Me: Why are you blushing?

Near: I'm uncertain of the reason myself.

Me: Can't you just say, "dunno?" Do you have to sound so formal? That's why I got sick of writing about you. You're so annoying. I loved your character at first because you're like L, but then I'd try to do something, and it'd be like, "No, that's more of an L thing to do." What do you actually do besides playing with your toys and whatnot?

Hope: You're starting to think like me. He's not L, Karynne.

Me: *gripping head* I won't kill him! I'm not like you!

Near: I'm uncomfortable with where this conversation is heading.

Hope: That's because we're talking about your mortality.

Me: No, it's because he's upset that you still want to kill him even though you're in love.

Hope: ...

Near: ...

Me: Oh, did I hit a nerve?

Hope: You know you did. You created the nerve.

Me: Oh, yeah. I remember now.

Near: I wonder if anyone's reading this.

Me: IF YOU'RE READING, PLEASE REVIEW!

Hope: Putting it in Caps Lock won't make them hear you better. It just makes you look desperate.

Me: I am desperate. I miss my lovely reviews. I should start writing something new.

Hope: Like Black Cat?

Me: I wrote an ENTIRE chapter of my novel today!

Near: Random, but thanks for sharing.

Me: 'Twas not random. We 'twere talking about writing, 'tweren't we, Hope?

Hope: Yes, we... 'twas?

Me: Good girl.

Dad: Rin, you wanna start heading upstairs?

Me: Translation, "go to bed."

Near: Shall we call it a night?

Hope: "We?" (suggestive)

Near: ...

Me: Don't be shy. As long as you go home right now. ...You, audiance, go home right now. I can't believe you read this far! You must be as bored as I am.

Dad: You're still here.

Me: You're watching Rambo.

Dad: "They drew first blood!"

Me: Lol. Ciao, readers!


End file.
